Hold On Tight
by BathingInMoonlight
Summary: You'd be surprised how much a girl can do with three insane cousins, a nosy little brother, a lovesick best friend, an attractive but despicable arch nemesis, and a couple dozen firecrackers. I'm Rose Weasley and my life is about to get a little crazy.
1. I Become the Definition of House Pride

**A/N: This is a re-upload of the first chapter of my original story, Hold On Tight. The reason? Well, I inserted page breaks in my word processor, but unfortunately, they didn't transfer onto the final version when I published it, making it look all squished together. So I am re-uploading. Sorry for the inconvenience! Please (re)read and review! -Tea**

Well, here I am. I, Rose Weasley, am at King's Cross Station waiting to go aboard the Hogwarts Express for my first day at school. But this isn't just any school, it's Hogwarts. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As I pushed the trolley carrying my trunk, books, and owl towards Platform 9 ¾, I felt my stomach start to churn. I was excited, but also nervous. What would happen when we got there? What house would I be sorted into? James always said that we had to battle some sort of troll to see what strategy we would use so that they could determine which house we belonged in. I was starting to feel scared and anxious. I gulped as we approached the muggle train station and stopped right in front of platforms nine and ten.

"You remember what to do, right Rosie?" my mother asked.

I nodded and felt my heart speed up a bit. I closed my eyes and pushed the trolley into the wall. I waited for the impact, but it never came. I opened my eyes, only to see the scarlet Hogwarts Express and the Platform ¾ sign. I smiled as my parents came through the barrier behind me and joined the crowd of witches and wizards.

"There you are! We've been looking all over for you!" called Aunt Ginny, almost desperate for a breath.

"Relax, Gin. We just ran a little late. Where's Harry and the rest of the kids?" my dad asked.

"A little? The train leaves in three minutes! James and Al are already aboard and Harry's over there waiting with Lily. Get a move on!" she told us as we ran over to Uncle Harry and Cousin Lily.

"Rosie! It's been so since I've seen you!" Uncle Harry said as he gave me a big hug.

"Goodbye Uncle Harry! Bye Aunt Ginny! Bye Hugo! Bye Mum and Dad!" I yelled as I gave each of them a quick hug.

"Don't forget to send Uncle Neville our love! Oh, and no pranks, Rose Weasley! Do you hear me? None! Not even on April Ghoul's Day!" shouted Mum.

I rolled my eyes. "It' s _Fool's!" _I shouted.

I hopped aboard the Hogwarts Express and scanned the train for James and Al. I had gone almost to the very back of the train when I heard, "ROSIE!" and got tackled by none other than James Potter.

"Get off of me! This is assault!"

"Well it's fun!" James laughed.

I pushed him off and he showed me to the compartment. James sat down next to Al and I took a seat on the pew across from them. I looked out the window to see Mum and Dad with Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry waving uncontrollably and Mum had tears running down her cheeks. I smiled and felt the train start to move. I smiled wider thinking, _This is it. _Ilooked back to James and Al. James had opened a chocolate frog and it was bouncing off of the walls, literally! It jumped on the window and slipped off, right into my hand.

"That is cool!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, but it's the cards you want," James explained as he held up the box.

He ripped off the back of the box and his smile faded. "Dang it! I got Dad again!"

"Whoa, let me see!" Al said.

James handed him the card. "You can keep it. I have about eleven of him." 

Al smiled even wider as he examined the card. He tilted it to the left, and poof, Uncle Harry was gone.

"He's gone!" Al exclaimed in shock.

"Well you can't expect him to sit around there all day! Dad's an auror! He has business to attend to!" James reminded him.

We all laughed just as the Scamander twins came into view.

"Sup Lorcan, Lysander," said James coolly.

"Hey," they said at the same time.

"Can we sit here?" Lorcan asked.

"Everywhere else is full," Lysander finished.

"Yeah, go ahead," I told them.

Lorcan sat next to me and Lysander took the seat next to James.

The chocolate frog had come back into view and jumped and landed somewhere else. Or, well, on _someone_ else. A pale blond boy was shrieking at the frog, shouting, "Get it off me! Get it off me!"

"Relax, it's just a frog. It's not even real," I pointed out.

He only scowled in response and shoved it off of him as he proceeded in the other direction.

James rolled his eyes. "Malfoy is such a coward."

Al, Lorcan, and Lysander sniggered just a bit and I was confused.

"What? Who's Malfoy?" I asked.

James closed the compartment door. _"That _was Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy, son of Draco Malfoy. Dad and him were enemies back at Hogwarts. Our families have a blood feud going on. You don't want to be seen associating with him, Rosie," he explained.

"Do you know why they were enemies? I mean, what is it with this blood feud?"

"His dad is an ex-death eater. And his grandparents and great aunts and uncles, almost everyone in his entire family were followers of You-Know-Who!"

"James, Voldemort is gone. Your father defeated him, after all. You can say his name."

"Nah, it'll startle everyone else. Some are still afraid to say it."

I rolled my eyes. James was always cautious about what people thought.

"Anyway, besides that, his family is really prejudiced. Wouldn't befriend someone unless they were pureblood. They hate muggles. His dad would call your mum nasty things like 'mudblood' because she was born from them. And he would call your dad a 'blood traitor' for being in love with her."

"That's terrible! I swear, this year I am going prank that Malfoy kid—,"

"Sorry, no can do. I promised your mum I'd keep an eye on you and make sure you stay out of trouble. That includes pranks," James told me with a smirk.

I scowled. "How much did she pay you?"

"Three galleons! I'm good 'til Christmas time!"

"As if you need any more! Your family's vault at Gringotts has a hundred times that!"

"It's way more than that. But relax, Rosie. I'll lend you some of it when you're old enough."

"When I'm old enough? I'm barely even a year younger than _you!"_

"That's still a baby to me," his devilish grin growing wider.

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!" I yelled furiously.

"Alright, Rose! Calm down! I was only joking!"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. I looked out the window, the dense green trees in the forests of England becoming blurry. I sighed as thunder and lightning hit the gloomy grey sky.

"Looks like a storm's coming," James said.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," I rolled my eyes.

"Come on Rosie, don't be mad at me."

"Yeah, Rosie, don't be mad at James," Lorcan told me.

"He didn't mean to piss you off," Lysander finished.

"I'm not mad," I said, ignoring the twins. "You just go too far, sometimes."

"Fine. I'm sorry, Rosie. Can we please just live peacefully?"

I nodded my head.

"Yay!" the twins yelled at the same time.

I smiled and turned to look at the melancholy sky once again. I hated September weather. It was stormy and cold, yet it can be warm and humid at the same time. I never understood the season of autumn. Its bipolar weather pattern always confused me. I sighed again as the thunder roared from outside of the window.

….

"Firs' years! Firs' years, over here!" a familiar voice called.

"I'll catch up with you guys later! See you in Gryffindor, Rosie! And Al, say hi to Scorpius Malfoy at the Slytherin table for me!" James teased.

"Stop it, James!" Al yelled, sounding annoyed.

"He's only kidding. Come on; let's catch up so we can say hi to Hagrid!" I told him as we ran to the front of the line.

"Hiya Hagrid!" we both yelled as we got to the front.

"Well hello there Rosie! Albus! Blimey! Yeh two are so big now! I still remember when yeh were no bigger than a Pekingese! A Pekingese!" Hagrid laughed heartily. "Are yeh ready fer yer firs' year at Hogwarts?"

"Of course!" I said. "It's Hogwarts! What could be better?"

"That's the spirit! Come on, now! To the boats, you lot! No more'n four to a boat!"

We smiled and boarded the boats. Albus got in a boat and I followed. All of the other boats were full and it didn't look like there were any students left, so I guess we lucked out.

"Do you mind if I join you guys? All of the other boats are full," a girl asked.

"Of course not. It's totally fine," I told her.

She smiled and got in. "I'm Annabel Marshall, but please, just call me Belle," she introduced.

Bell was pale white and her porcelain skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. She had pretty blue eyes that shined like tiny orbs inside of her eye sockets. Her wavy brown hair went down to her waist and was currently styled into a braid.

I smiled. "Alright, Belle. I'm Rose Weasley. And that's Albus Potter over there." 

Albus gave her a smile and we turned back to the castle. It was beautiful. I couldn't even try to imagine what the inside looked like…

"Welcome firs' years to Hogwarts, the fines' school fer magic out there! Yer new Herbology professor will lead yeh to the Great Hall where yeh'll be sorted into yer Houses. Now, yeh'll have ter wait here while I get Professor Longbottom."

"Uncle Neville!" Al and said at the same time.

"You guys know him?" Belle asked.

I nodded. "Our parents were like best friends with him back at Hogwarts."

A few minutes later, Uncle Neville came out. Hagrid waved to us and said goodbye then left to his hut which was just outside of the forest.

"Hi Uncle Neville!" I greeted.

"Hello Rosie! Hello Albus! Now, I would like to welcome each and every one of you to Hogwarts! The feast will begin shortly, but first off, you all must be sorted into your Houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While here at Hogwarts, your House will be like your family. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced many outstanding witches and wizards. While at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, and any rule-breaking will lose your House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will be awarded the House Cup. Do you all understand?"

Most of us nodded.

"Good! The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily and when I return, you'll follow me into the Great Hall. Now wait here."

In what seemed like an eternity later, Uncle Neville returned. He made a "come in" gesture and we followed him into the Great Hall. The ceiling looked exactly like the night sky. The stars were silver and glowing and the sky was a deep blue that reminded me of my denim jeans. There were about a million floating candles that brought light to the gigantic room. Decorative banners hung in mid-air over the four tables.

"Hey, Al! Don't forget to say 'hey' to Scorp for me!" James teased.

Al scowled, but I saw in his emerald green eyes that he was both nervous and worried about the Sorting.

"Knock it off, James!" I told him.

James rolled his eyes and turned back around.

"Who was that?" Belle asked.

"Albus's brother James and my annoying older cousin. It's only by year though."

"Oh…" she said dreamily as she stared off into space.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little nervous, that's all."

"I am too," I told her truthfully.

We came to a stop and Uncle Neville came back with a stool and a dirty old hat.

"_What? _What is this?" I asked. "James said we had to battle some sort of ogre!"

"Actually it was a troll," Al pointed out.

"Whatever! It's the same thing!"

"Now, when I call your name, I'm going to place the Sorting Hat on your head to determine which House you will go in," Uncle Neville told us.

"_The Sorting Hat? _I am going to _kill_ James!" I announced.

"He was only trying to be funny!" Belle protested.

I rolled my eyes as Uncle Neville called the first the girl up to the stool.

She was sorted into Hufflepuff, and so was the next girl. The next guy, however, was in Gryffindor, followed by a couple of Slytherins, and another Hufflepuff. There were quite a few Gryffindors followed by a few Ravenclaws and then a Slytherin. They made their way down to the M's and I could almost smell Belle's fear. She was shaking nervously and her skin turned pale white.

"Are you all right? You look ill!" I told her.

"Just n-n-nervous…"

"It's going to be all right, trust me."

"Malfoy, Scorpius."

The blond boy I had seen earlier emerged from the crowd and as he walked past me, shot a grimace in my direction. I rolled my eyes. I was going to get him regardless of what James had said on the train.

The Sorting Hat grumbled a few words under its breath before shouting, "SLYTHERIN!"

"Well that was predictable," Al whispered in my ear.

I chuckled as Uncle Neville called, "Marshall, Annabel."

Her eyes widened as she turned to me. I pushed her forward and she began to walk towards him. When she finally reached the stool, he placed the dirty hat on her head. I saw her cheeks turn the brightest shade of scarlet as the Sorting Hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

She smiled and ran over to the Gryffindor table, introducing herself to James. I smiled, hoping that I would be able to sit next to Belle, Albus, and James.

A Slytherin, a Hufflepuff, two Ravenclaws, and two Gryffindors later, they moved on to P.

"Potter, Albus."

I saw Albus turn bright red as he sat down on the stool. It took the Sorting Hat particularly long to sort him, but in the end, it was, "GRYFFINDOR!"

He was smiling quite wide as he took a seat next to his brother. James mumbled something to Al, and he got the annoyed look that he usually got when his brother teased about him getting into Slytherin.

Soon, they moved on to S, and the first person they called was, "Scamander, Lorcan."

Lorcan's pale face went redder than my hair as he walked up to the stool. I wished him good luck as he walked by. A smile came to his face as the Sorting Hat yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"

His brother, Lysander, got the same verdict and they gave each other high fives as they sat down.

I gulped, knowing that it was almost my turn. My stomach churned as they got past T, U, and finally, V.

"Weasley, Rose."

Oh bloody hell, here we go.

I walked up to the stool, not knowing what to expect from the Sorting Hat. I shut my eyes tight and gulped as I waited for it to speak.

"Hmm…another Weasley…you're a sneaky one, there's no doubt about it, you'd do well in Slytherin, oh yes, but you're also kind, just like a Hufflepuff, and you've got a great mind your hands, just like your mother. Not to mention the witty and clever side of you, just like most Ravenclaws. I sense lots of courage, you're a brave one, you are, like a true Gryffindor. You're the entire package, Miss Weasley…but, now, where to put you?"

It grumbled something else that I couldn't hear, and I gulped before hearing the words, "GRYFFINDOR!"

I opened my eyes and smiled wide as I ran to the table and took a seat between Belle and James.

"Rosie! You made it!" James cried, giving me a hug.

"I can't believe it! I'm officially a Gryffindor!"

….

6 years later…

….

"Can I dye my hair green?" I asked as I rushed down the stairs.

"Absolutely not!" my mum said for the fortieth time.

"But why not? Belle dyed her bangs purple!"

"Well, that's Annabel, not you! And she is a hairdresser, after all!"

"Which is exactly why I'm asking! She needs someone to practice on! Fine, just my bangs! The rest will stay red!"

"No! People will think you're bizarre!"

"Who cares what people think? Come on, Mum! I'm sixteen for crying out loud! Let me have a little fun!"

"Rose Weasley, you will not be dying your hair under my roof anytime soon! Go upstairs and get your stuff ready! Your sixth year starts tomorrow!"

"I know! That's why I want to dye my bangs green! So that I'll have them for tomorrow! Please!"

"I said 'no,'" she told me, her gaze meeting mine.

I sighed in annoyance as Dad came down the stairs.

"Hey, Dad—,"

"Don't even think about it," he stated immediately.

"But you don't even know what I was going to say!"

"Well, honey, if your Mum says no, then I say the same. That's all there is to it."

I groaned. "But you don't even know what it is!"

"Well, what is it?"

"Rose wants to dye her hair green," Mum said before I could even open my mouth.

His jaw fell open. "Green?"

"Just my bangs! The rest of my hair stays ginger! _Please, _Dad!"

"No, Rosie. I will not have my daughter walk around with green hair. People will think you're ridiculous!"

"Who cares? Teddy has teal hair and people don't look at him funny…well, most of the time anyway."

"He's a metamorphagus, he can't help it."

"But my point is, people don't look at him funny all of the time, so why does it make a difference with me?"

Dad sighed and opened his mouth to say something, but then took a sip of his coffee.

I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "So can I dye my hair then?"

"Let me think...no," he answered immediately.

"Dad! Please! I just made a point! Why not? Belle dyed her bangs purple!"

"Purple, eh? Well, it's better than green. And isn't that because she's a hair-doer or something?"

"_Hairdresser. _And that's why I'm asking! She needs someone to practice on! And green is a fantastic color, thank you very much!"

"It's also a Slytherin color."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Fine. Can I dye my bangs gold and leave the rest of my hair red to symbolize Gryffindor then?"

"Alright, deal."

I smiled wide, but then Mum interfered. "Ron!"

"What? She is sixteen, and if she wants to show pride for her House, then I don't see a reason why she shouldn't!"

"Ron! That isn't the point! She's too young to dye her hair! And I don't my daughter to be used as some science experiment for her best friend!"

"Hermione, let her dye her hair! Her friend did, after all, and if she needs someone to practice on, so be it! She's very talented as it is! And sixteen isn't so young, Hermione. She's only a year away from becoming an adult."

"I'm just gonna go up to my room, so if anyone needs me, I'll be up there. Okay bye!" I said as I ran quickly up the stairs.

"You better not be dying your hair! Do you hear me Rose Weasley?"

I ran inside of my room and shut the door behind me. I cast a spell that made sure it locked and couldn't be opened. I was dying my hair today, and there was no stopping it.

"What'd she say?" Belle asked.

"No, of course. But my Dad agreed if I my bangs only golden blonde to symbolize Gryffindor," I told her.

"That's even better! Blimey, I almost forgot how much I loved your dad!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, well you better hurry up and dye it because my mum is downstairs talking him out of it."

"Alright, it won't take that long anyway. Golden blonde, you said, right?"

"Yeah. I'm going to the new definition of 'House Pride!'"

We both laughed and entered the bathroom attached to my bedroom. I hopped into the shower, shampooing and conditioning quickly, keeping the amount of time he had in mind. I rinsed my hair out and turned off the shower in a hurry. I wrung my hair out, leaving a surplus pool of water outside of my shower and shook my head violently like a dog that had just been bathed.

"Oh Merlin, I'm going to regret this in the morning!" I said with a grin as I put a fresh, clean t-shirt on over my head.

"Rose, please! It's a sign of rebellion, which is something you need more than anything. Not to mention, re_bell_ion, get it?"

I rolled my eyes, chuckling just a bit as she applied the bleach. "You certainly are the odd one in the bunch."

"Oh, like you're not weird."

"Not as weird as you."

"I'm not the one with blonde bangs and ginger hair."

"You're right. You're the one purple bangs and poop hair."

She rolled her eyes, but laughed at her backfired joke.

"You're lucky I'm you best friend."

"I know."

She smiled. "Okay. Now we wait," she told me with a sigh of relief.

"How long?"

"Fifteen minutes. Usually if you go any longer, it'll cause severe damage and cause your skin to break out."

"Okay, well I don't want that happening."

"Don't worry, Rose. It won't."

I sighed as she wrapped a shower cap over my entire head and thirteen and a half minutes later, Belle sent me back into the shower. She set the temperature, because she claimed if it was too hot or too cold, it would damage my hair.

I removed the shower cap, stepped in the shower, and rinsed the hydrogen peroxide out of my hair. I turned off the shower and covered myself in a towel.

"Are you ready?" Belle asked impatiently.

"Yes!" I called. "Oh, hang on, I dropped the shower cap!"

I bent down to grab the shower cap when I heard, "Gross, Rose! You said you were ready and I open the door to see your arse right in my face!"

"I told you to hang on!" I laughed.

I slipped the t-shirt back on over me and she applied some special conditioner. I rinsed it off in the sink after two minutes and then looked up into the mirror. My bangs were _not_ blonde. They were my normal ginger hair color! I thought Belle said that she would be able to do this right away!

"Why isn't it blonde?" I asked, completely horrified at my unchanged reflection in the mirror.

With an amused look on her face, she told me, "That's where the magic comes in."

She took out her wand and gave my wet hair a tap. I looked in the mirror, and poof. There it was. My bleach blonde bangs, waiting to be covered in golden hair dye.

"_Presto! _With the help of magic, your bangs are now the color of Malfoy's hair!"

"Oh my god! They are! You're amazing! Now dye them gold before I mistake myself for him and punch myself in the gut," I alleged.

She rolled her eyes and took out a bottle of hair dye. It was labeled, "Dandelion."

"_Dandelion?_ I said gold, not a stupid yellow weed!"

"This was the closest to gold they had! And it's going to look the same, I promise!"

"It better!"

She sighed and squirted the dye out of the bottle. She applied to the bleached areas and then combed it all out. Making sure it was perfect, she examined her work on me once again.

"Now, we wait another fifteen minutes. It's all going to be perfect, Rosie, I promise."

Just then, we heard a knock on my bedroom door.

"Rose, let us in please! We want to tell you something!" I heard my mum yell.

"Oh, no! They can't see me! They can't see _you!"_ I squealed in fear.

"Uh, I'll get it. Better me than you," she said, rushing to the door.

I heard it open and I knew that they were about to say something, but Belle had beaten them to it.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley! So nice to see you! Always such a pleasure! Rose is a little busy right now, but she'll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible! Alright, well, thanks for stopping by!"

"Wait, Annabel, what are you doing here? When did you get here?" Mum asked.

"Just this morning. Rose doesn't really want to talk to you guys right now. She made me swear not to let you in."

"Can't we just tell her something really quick?" they begged.

"I really don't think that's such a great idea—,"

But they had already opened the door and Belle couldn't say no to them. They were my parents, not hers. And you can't say no to my parents, even if you are their child or adopted child.

I heard them start to make their way into the bathroom and I looked at the time. It had only been ten minutes. Shit. Desperate for a better move, I ran into the shower to avoid them seeing me with my hair almost dyed. I turned it on, making sure the water was perfectly "luke-warm" as Belle called it, and rinsed my hair of the dye.

"Rose?" I heard Mum call.

"I'm in the shower, and I'm not talking to you at the moment."

"Sweetie, please. I just want to remind you that your father and I love you, no matter what sort of trouble you cause."

"Yeah, I've heard it all before. Go away, now."

"Honey, what I'm trying to say is, I'm allowing you to dye your hair. I'm not very happy with the decision, but if it makes you happy, then go for it. And I know you have good taste, so I'm trusting that it won't look as bizarre as I thought it would."

I turned the shower off and wrapped the towel around my wet body. I stepped out of the shower to face my mother.

"So…you're not mad?"

Her jaw dropped when she caught a glimpse of my hair. "ROSE WEASLEY!"

My face fell and my eyes widened. Well, it was worth a try.

"YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR TWO WEEKS! HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME! I TOLD YOU NO, AND YOU WENT AND DID IT ANYWAY! I AM TAKING AWAY YOUR MONEY FOR HOGSMEADE, YOUNG LADY!"

I rolled my eyes. She said yes in the end, so what was the difference?

"—AND YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GO WITH YOUR COUSINS ON THE VACATION TO ROMANIA TO VISIT YOUR UNCLE CHARLIE! IS THAT CLEAR?"

"Yes, mother."

"Alright then," she said as she and Dad left my room.

"Wow. I'm really sorry about that. You can borrow some of my Hogsmeade money if you'd like," Belle offered.

"Nah, she'll miss me while I'm away and feel guilty for yelling and let me go on the vacation and she'll probably send me some Sickles too," I told her.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "I wish I had your family."

"_Trust_ me. You don't."


	2. My Best Friends Are In Denial

The next day, Belle and I were packing for Hogwarts when we heard some sort of explosion downstairs. Curious to know what it was, I leaped over the staircase and into the living room. On the floor in front of the fireplace, were James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna Potter.

"ROSIE!" they called, giving me a bear hug.

"James! Al! Lily! It's so great to see you!"

"It's always great to see you, cousin!" Al said.

"Aw, thanks! Now get off of me; this hug is starting to hurt."

They listened and stepped off of me; both James and Al gave me puzzled looks as they got a better look at me.

"What happened to your hair?" James asked after about four minutes of an awkward silence.

"I dyed it to symbolize Gryffindor."

They both smiled. "Nice," Al said, giving me a high five.

"Can't believe Aunt 'Mione let you do it!"

"She didn't, but I did it anyway. Dad talked her into it, so it was a yes in the end, but I still got in trouble, of course."

James smirked. "How much?"

"No Hogsmeade money and I can't go to Romania."

Al raised his eyebrows. "That's it?"

I nodded. "She'll come around though."

"Okay, seriously, who dyed your hair? Because you did _not_ do this yourself," James wondered.

"I did," Belle answered, coming down the stairs.

A smile appeared on James's face as he saw Belle. He probably didn't even recognize her. Over the summer, she had been practicing her hair techniques on herself, and occasionally on me. She had chopped all of her wavy brown locks off and gave herself an edgy pixie cut, and dyed her bangs purple. She looked like a totally different person.

Okay, let me tell you something about Belle that I may have forgotten to mention earlier. Belle comes from a pureblood family. Her parents are super strict and they used to be Death Eaters. They're very much into the Dark Arts and they live in some sort of private castle on the edge of Scotland in the middle of nowhere.

When she got her Hogwarts letter, she knew that her parents would never allow her to attend, so she sort of messed with it and made it seem like some of boarding school where you learn how to use the Dark Arts. So they let her go, but little did she know, they kept a close eye on her. When they saw that it wasn't what the letter had promised, they took her back and locked her up in her room with no meals or anything.

Luckily that day I sent her an owl, so she wrote on the back of it asking for help, explaining her entire situation. So she packed up her room and we rescued her with Granddad's flying car. As soon as they found that she had escaped, her parents disowned her. Mum was furious that Al, James, and I flew that car, of course, but when she heard the entire story, she took pity on us, and allowed Belle to stay with us.

"Did you guys just go nuts with hair dye or something?" James laughed. "Did you dye the cat's hair, too?"

Belle laughed and her face flushed. Oh, did I mention that she's in love with James? She has been ever since first year, but she won't admit it.

"I want to be a hairdresser when I grow up. You know, open up a shop in Diagon Alley, like a wizard's hair salon!"

"_A wizard's hair salon?_ Of all the jobs in the Wizarding World, you go for a wizard's hair salon?" Al asked in a surprised tone.

She rolled her eyes. "I've always wanted to have my own business. I love doing hair, so why not open up a shop in Diagon Alley? People can come in and get great service and an amazing new look. It's a win/win!"

Al rolled his eyes. "You're such a girl."

Belle groaned and crossed her arms against her chest.

"Well, I think it's a good idea," James said.

Her eyes sparkled and she smiled wide. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. You certainly have the talent for it," James flushed.

Belle's cheeks went scarlet. "Thanks, James."

He smiled again, trying to hide his pink cheeks. Note to self: Talk James into asking Belle out.

"Breakfast is ready!" Mum called.

We all ran to the table and took our seats. Belle and James grabbed the seat next to me at the same time, causing their hands to meet.

"Sorry," they both said at the same time, both of their faces flushed.

Belle sat down next to me and James sat to the right of her. Al was to my right and next to him was Lily. Dad sat across from us while Mum ate in the kitchen. It still felt like we were missing someone…

"Hey, where's Hugo?" Al asked.

"Oh, I think he's upstairs. Might be still sleeping."

"Rose, go and wake your brother! The train leaves in an hour!"

I rolled my eyes and slammed my fork against my plate. Running up the stairs, I called, "HUGO!"

No answer. I barged into his room and surprise, surprise, he was sound asleep.

"HUGO!" I yelled.

Nothing.

"HUGO!"

Again, nothing.

I sighed. "BACON!"

The red haired boy sprang up out of his bed and ran the down stairs at the speed of light. I laughed and continued down the staircase, taking my seat next to Belle and James.

"Hugo, have you packed yet?"

"No."

Mum snatched the bacon out of his hand. "No more bacon until you run upstairs and pack."

Groaning, he went back upstairs to his room and went to pack.

"Rose, Belle, did you two finish packing?"

"_Ye-es!"_ we sang at the same time.

Mum smiled. "James, Albus, Lily, what about you?"

"Packed before we came, Aunt 'Mione," James told her, stuffing a pancake into his mouth.

"Good. Where are your parents?"

"Should be coming any minute. They went to some stuff out of the attic," Al said.

"Probably our broomsticks," James added.

Not even a minute later, Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny burst out of our fireplace carrying two broomsticks and three trunks.

"Ron, help them load the car," Mum ordered.

Dad got up and walked upstairs. He came back down about four minutes later carrying three trunks. He was followed by a hungry looking Hugo, who rushed to his seat to finish his bacon.

"What time is it, Mum?" I asked.

"It's ten-thirty! Hurry up and eat! We're going to be late!"

I shoved the last pancake into my mouth and ran outside followed by Belle, James, Al, Lily, and Hugo. Dad was in the driver's seat with Mum next to him in the passenger's with Hugo on her lap. Aunt Ginny was next to her with Lily on hers while Uncle Harry stayed with us in the back seat. Dad charmed the car to have enough room for all of us whenever we were planning any Potter-Weasley family trips.

"'Mione, can we please—,"

"No, Ron! It's too risky!"

"But we have the invisibility booster! You're the one who fixed it, after all!"

"Ron, no! We have children here! It's too risky!"

"Please, I'll be careful this time!"

Mu sighed. "Oh, alright. But just this once!"

"Get ready, kids!"

"Um, Dad?" I began, but I stopped talking when I realized that we were becoming invisible. I felt us leap off of the ground and then I realized, WE WERE FLYING.

All of us screamed because we couldn't see anything and it felt like we were falling out of the sky.

"Relax, guys! Uncle Ron knows what he's doing!" James told us.

"Why are we invisible? I don't like this! At all!" Belle screamed.

"It's only so the Muggles don't see us. If they did, we'd be in bigger trouble," he explained.

"Exactly. We don't want this to end up like last time, do we, Ronald?" Mum scolded.

"It was the invisibility booster's fault! It jammed on us, didn't it, Harry?"

"Yes! We didn't mean to be seen; it just broke all of a sudden!" Uncle Harry answered almost immediately.

"Well, you should have been more careful! And you had no business taking that car, Ronald! You got what you deserved by driving yourselves into the Whomping Willow."

"We had no choice! The barrier just shut us out completely! We had to get to Hogwarts somehow!"

"Well that plan didn't go very well, now did it?"

"That's not the point, 'Mione!"

"RON! STOP THE CAR!"

I looked up and we all screamed. We were about to crash into the London clock tower! Dad swerved the car immediately, causing us to squish together. Dad quickly got us back on the ground and pulled into a parking space. He turned off the invisibility booster and we were visible again.

"Belle? Are you alright?" I asked, looking to her direction.

There she was, hugging James tightly with her eyes snapped shut and head against his chest, and James holding her the same way. They both opened their eyes immediately and let go of each other. Both of their cheeks went bright red when they saw everyone staring at them.

"Sorry," they both muttered at the same time, their faces flushing.

We all got out of the car and grabbed our trunks. James and I grabbed our owls' cages and loaded them onto our carts. Belle grabbed her cat, Ruby, and lead her gently into her cage as she placed her on the top of her trolley. When everyone was finished, we wheeled them into the train station.

"Ten minutes!" Mum warned.

We ran all the way over to platforms nine and ten and ran into the wall one by one. When we finally reached Platform 9 ¾, the Hogwarts Express was about to leave.

I hugged Mum, Dad, Uncle Harry, and Ginny, saying my goodbyes and promising that I'll stay out of trouble (NOT!)

"No pranks!" Mum reminded. "Write to us!"

I rolled my eyes and boarded the train after Belle, James, Al, Lily, and Hugo. We found an empty compartment and slipped inside.

"Go with your friends, Hugo. You're not welcome in here," I told him.

He groaned and rolled his eyes, but obeyed and left the compartment.

"Why'd you kick Hugo out? He's so cute!" Belle said.

I rolled my eyes. "That _thing_ is cute? You have no taste. But I have to tell you something."

I tried to shut the compartment door, but someone stopped me. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Potty and Weasel family shoved inside one compartment?" a familiar voice teased.

"Get lost, Malfoy!" I warned and shot a glare in his direction.

He rolled his eyes. "Nice hair, Weasley."

I stood up and nailed him right in the face with a punch. "Nice face, Malfoy."

I sat back down, only to be stopped by Malfoy again. "Shove off!"

"Oh, I would love to Weasley, but we need you in the Prefects' compartment. The meeting starts in a few minutes. And we'll be needing you too, Potter," he scowled, referring to James.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, James. I'll just catch up with you guys later."

"I hate you, Rose! You're leaving me alone with _Al!"_

Al, looking rather offended, yelled in defence, "Hey! I'm not that bad!"

"Oh, please! You're even more annoying that American girl who sang the days of the week!"

"Oh, you mean Rebecca Black? It's Friday, Friday! Gotta get down on Friday! Everybody's looking forward to the weekend, weekend! Friday, Friday! Gettin—"

"ROSE!"

Laughing at Al's attempt of Rebecca Black, I said, "I wish I could help, but I've got to go."

"I apologize in advance for my brother's madness," James told her with his smile full of sorrow.

"You guys take forever," Malfoy groaned.

"Shut up, Malfoy. We're coming," I told him.

As James and I caught up to Malfoy and got inside of the Prefects compartment, we were greeted by Lorcan and Lysander Scamander. They squeezed us tightly in a hug, telling us how much that they missed us over the summer.

"ROSIE! JAMES! It's been so long since we've seen you!" one of them shouted.

"Yeah, we've missed you over summer! How's Belle?" the other asked.

"And what about Al? And Hugo?"

"Relax, man, they're fine," James said coolly as he ruffled his hand through Lorcan's hair (or at least, I thought it was Lorcan), leaving it untidy and causing him to self-consciously fix it.

"Mr. Scamander, Miss Weasley, if you would please take your seats so that we may get started," McGonagall stated as she stepped in the compartment and closed the door behind her.

I sat next to James and Lorcan (or maybe Lysander) and McGonagall began to lecture us on our duties as Prefects. She explained how we have to follow the rules at all times. As the lecture moved on and on, I began to grow tired. This was my second year of being a Prefect, and McGonagall had the same speech every year.

"Now, this year we will be doing things a little different. You'll each have a partner to patrol with, and to make sure that there will be no nonsense going on, your partners will be picked at random," she told us.

We all groaned, not at all looking forward to patrolling with a partner, especially if it were being picked at random.

"Mr. Potter and Miss Davies, you two will be patrolling with each other since you're the Head Boy and Girl," McGonagall explained.

This year, the Head Girl was a Ravenclaw, no surprise there. Her name was Melanie Davies. She was popular, in the sense of everyone knew her name, almost every guy wanted her as their girlfriend, and almost every girl envied her. From her head to her toes, she was perfect. Bad hair days never existed in the world of Melanie Davies. Acne? _Please. _Her skin was flawless. Skinny as a stick with curves in all of the right places, if you know what I mean. Every girl wants to be her. I mean, what's not to love about Melanie Davies?

Maybe her big head and egotistical personality. She may be smart and pretty, but her attitude just ruins it. If you're not in Ravenclaw and you're not popular, don't even bother going near her. She'll just rip your head off and make you feel even worse about yourself. I would know. I used to want to be her. I used to kiss the ground she walked on. But I was immature then. I've realized what she is…but I'm not allowed to say it.

Anyways, back to reality.

"For the rest of you, I've written each of your names down on a piece of parchment and placed them in this bag. If you get yourself or someone from your own house, I'm afraid you'll have to choose again."

Everyone groaned as McGonagall passed the bag to Grace McLaggen, a fellow Gryffindor in my year. She got paired up with Lysander. Next was Lorcan, who got paired up with Dianne MacMillan, who's in Hufflepuff. Skye Finch-Fletchley, also a Hufflepuff, was with Thomas Nott of Slytherin.

Finally, it was my turn, but that's when I realized that there was only person left: Scorpius Malfoy.

"Miss Weasley, you'll be patrolling with Mr. Malfoy. Now that things are sett—,"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a minute! I'm not patrolling with that sack of mucus!" I blurted out.

"Miss W—," McGonagall started, but Malfoy interrupted.

"Weasley, I'm not too excited about patrolling with you either, especially since you're such an arrogant know-it-all, but it's Headmistress's orders."

My jaw dropped. _"I'm _not the arrogant know-it-all! Look in the mirror! You're always strutting about the castle like you're some sort of royalty!"

He smirked and began to laugh a little. He tried to say something, but McGonagall stopped him.

Thinning her already puny lips, she scolded, "That's enough from the both of you! You better learn to act civilly to each other because these will be your _permanent_ patrolling partners. You will get your patrolling schedules along with you regular class schedules when we get back to the castle. You all may return to your compartments."

_Permanent. _The word burned in the back of my mind. It kept repeating itself over and over again, like some form of torture. I shut my eyes tight, trying to stop it, but my head was now aching. I opened my eyes slowly, and the room was spinning. I felt myself getting dizzier by the second. I shut my eyes again, and without even thinking, I yelped, _"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"_

I opened my eyes to realize that everyone was staring at me. Not one had left the compartment. I gulped and my heart began to race. I hated this attention. With everyone staring at me, it made me feel like such a freak.

"W-Why are you all staring at me?" I asked.

I heard my voice echo in my head, and it began to get louder and louder, the noise pounding against my eardrum. I shut my eyes again, trying to make it stop, but it was no use. I screamed, not knowing what else that I could do. I felt someone put a hand on my shoulder, which made me jump, and my eyes open in surprise.

"Are you alright, Miss Weasley?" McGonagall asked.

I nodded my head, not wanting to say anything.

"A mental drama queen too. Yikes," Malfoy said.

I furiously drew back my fist, but McGonagall caught it with her palm.

"Go back to your compartments, all of you," she stated.

I sighed and started to walk towards where I was sitting before. I honestly felt like crying. Everyone probably thought that I was some sort of psycho.

"Rosie, wait up!" James called.

I stopped walking and waited for him to catch up to me. When he did, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Isn't that what I'm supposed to say?"

"I'm not asking for what you're supposed to say. I'm asking if you're alright."

"Like I said, I'm fine."

James sighed as we got back into the compartment.

"How'd it go?" Belle asked.

"Alright," James answered.

"Yeah, at least you get someone who isn't a blonde maggot," I told him.

Al and Belle exchanged quizzical looks.

"McGonagall is making us have patrolling partners. She got paired up with Malfoy."

Both of their jaws dropped.

"_Malfoy?" _Al repeated. "Is McGonagall trying to torture you?"

"We picked randomly. But somehow she still ended up with him," James explained.

"So, who did you get?" Belle asked James, looking a tad anxious.

"Melanie Davies. She's Head Girl."

Her face fell. "Oh…"

"So, Rose, what did you want to tell us before you left?" Al asked.

"Oh, right," I said, coming back to Earth. I closed the compartment door and locked it so that no one would interrupt again. "Okay. Uncle George gave me some firecrackers for my birthday and I haven't used them yet. I've been hiding them from Mum because I knew that she would confiscate them and then scold Uncle George for giving them to me. But I've been saving them for the right moment."

"Cool! How much did he give you?" Al asked excitedly.

"Oh, I don't know. A couple dozen?" I guessed.

"Whoa!" the three of them exclaimed.

"I'll let you each have some, but you can only use them with my approval."

"What happens if we don't get your approval?" Al asked curiously.

"I take the rest of them and you're never allowed to borrow or have anything from me ever again."

"Damn it!" he shouted as he sunk into his seat.

I smirked as sat back and closed my eyes. This was going to be a great year, even if I did have to patrol with Malfoy. At least I could still set off fireworks to light up the night sky or perhaps blow up his dorm.

….

"Monday and Wednesday nights on the Astronomy Tower? This is ridiculous! I'm not patrolling on Couples Tower with Malfoy!" I exclaimed in complete and utter annoyance.

"At least you don't have to clean owl shit in the Owlery every night for a week," Al pointed out.

"Well that's what you get for calling Chase Wood a git," I told him.

"Yeah, but McGonagall shouldn't have given me detention for it! It's his fault for being so selfish and arroga—,"

"He's _not!_ He's nice and funny and smar—," Belle began to protest.

"I don't see what's so great about him. He's good at Quidditch, but all he does is brag about how great he is. His ego is surprisingly bigger than his head," James said while grinding his teeth in annoyance.

My jaw hit the floor as I looked over to Belle, and her mouth was open, too.

"He is not, James! Maybe if you actually get to know him better—,"

"Get to know him? Yeah, right!" James slammed his fists against the table, causing the goblets and plates to bounce and cling against one another, and Belle and I jumped in our seats in shock. "He's the most arrogant bloke I've ever met! I can't stand that guy!"

"You're not alone, bro," Al put a hand on his shoulder, but James just ignored this.

Belle rolled her eyes at his ignorance and crossed her arms. "I think he's cute."

"Well maybe if you weren't so shallow you wouldn't get so caught up in his looks!"

Belle's jaw dropped and so did mine. Did James seriously just call her shallow?

"Well maybe if you weren't so jealous, you wouldn't be acting like such an _arse!"_

James scowled furiously and stormed out of the Great Hall, murmuring something about how ignorant she was being.

_Talk about a drama queen, _I thought.

"Tell me about it," Belle replied, her eyebrows furrowed and her head resting on her arm.

Oops. Must've said that out loud.

I quickly finished my food, eager to return to the dorm and abandon the awkward silence that the argument between Belle and James had left behind. After I was no longer hungry, I decided to head back to the dormitory.

"I'll see you guys back in the common room," I told Belle and Al as I fled the room.

Al waved in response as he shoved a chicken leg into his mouth and Belle said nothing; apparently she was still suffering from the aftershock of the disagreement. I don't blame her. If I liked someone that much, it would have hurt me too.

I walked up to the portrait hole and whispered the password, then climbed inside. The common room looked exactly the way I had remembered it. It was full of royal red and glistening gold décor, from its burgundy carpets to its golden wall hangings. I smiled as I climbed up the stairs and opened the door labeled, "SIXTH YEARS." Next to the beds were our trunks and belongings, and Belle's cat, Ruby, was resting silently upon her bed, which was to the right of mine. I sat at the foot of it and took off my shoes. I rubbed my aching feet and fell back onto the red comforter in the dorm. Staring at the ceiling, I began to yawn. Though it seemed quite short, this day had really tired me out.

I opened up my trunk and pulled on my pajamas. I took off my makeup, washed my face, and brushed my teeth. I pulled my hair into a messy bun and then sighed. Looking at myself in the mirror, I frowned. There were bags under my eyes and I looked completely worn out. Sighing, I returned to the dorm. I heard some girls chattering from downstairs, so I knew that they would be coming up to bed in a bit. Great. Right when I thought I would have some alone time.

I sighed again and lied down on my bed. I closed my eyes and began to fall asleep when I heard the door open. I opened my eyes to see who it was, and turned towards the archway. There was Belle, sniffling and wiping her eyes, which looked a bit puffy.

"Oh, hi Rose," she said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Hey, Belle. Everything alright?"

She nodded. "Everything's fine."

"You know, if you're still upset about the whole James thing, I could go and kick his arse for you right now."

She shook her head and sniffled again. "I'm fine."

"Okay. Let's just get some sleep."

"Sounds like a good idea," she replied with a smile and her blue eyes glistened in the light from the chandelier that was hanging above her.

Falling asleep wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. It was one in the morning now and I couldn't get anything off of my mind. I hadn't even been to my first lesson yet, and I was already overwhelmed. Not only was I going to be knee deep in homework, but I also had to patrol three days a week. With _Malfoy,_ my worst enemy.

I tossed and turned in my bed, but it was no use. I wasn't getting any sleep tonight, that was obvious. Sitting up, now wide awake, I sighed and decided to sit by the warm fire in the common room.

As I made my way down the staircase, I saw a bushy head full of hair that I could recognize anywhere sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace.

"James?" I whispered loudly. "What are you doing up? Wait a minute, you're supposed to be patrolling tonight!"

"I just got back."

"Oh, well that makes sense," I sat down next to him. "How was it?"

"It was okay," he told me uneasily.

I frowned nervously and my eyebrows furrowed together. "Is everything alright?"

He flashed a smile in my direction. "Yeah, everything's totally fine."

But I could see right through him. There was something wrong. I could always tell this with James. I had no trouble reading him because he was such an open book.

"James, if there's anything wrong, anything at all, you know that you can tell me, right?"

He sighed deeply. "It's just…It's Melanie. I can't get her out of my head."

My jaw dropped. "Me—Mel—_Melanie?" _I stammered.

This couldn't be happening. I've always know that James was a git, but really? His arse is falling for _Melanie? _He could do _so_ much better. Hell, he has Belle. (Hey, that rhymed. That actually rhymed. I would make such an amazing poet. Rose Weasley, the notable poet extraordinaire, and possible descendant of William Shakespeare.) But, um, anyways, he's always had Belle. She _never_ let him down.

So I did what any sane girl would have done. I slapped him.

"Ouch! Rose, what is your problem?"

"You're into Melanie Davies! That's my problem! She's nothing but a two-face- two-timing-butterfaced-whore!" I exclaimed furiously.

"She is _not! _You're just jealous of her! And so is Belle!"

"_Belle? _Are you seriously going to bring her into this? I think you've caused her enough pain at the moment!" I spat.

James's expression darkened. I had gone too far.

"James, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"Then why would you say it?"

"I—I don't know. It's just that she's my best friend. And you really, really hurt her."

"Well I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm not bloody perfect!"

"I never said you were, James! It's just Belle. She's been here all this time. She never let you down. _Never_. Not once. I just want you to realise that."

"I do, alright? I just don't see her as anything more than a friend."

"Oh, well isn't that a filthy lie?"

"You know what, Rose?" he started, but stopped as soon we began to hear noises.

They sounded like footsteps coming from upstairs, but I didn't see anyone come down right away. I decided that it was probably just my mind playing tricks on me. After all, it was almost 2 AM, and I wasn't used to being up this late, even when I was at home and it was summer.

But then I heard someone yawn and more footsteps. I was beginning to get a bit creeped out and I felt like one of those people in Muggle horror movies. This is normally where some person in a hockey mask comes out and slaughters everyone while they're sleeping. Gulping, I shut my eyes and waited for death to take me.

_Wait! _I thought. _If I'm dying, like right now, I just want Chase Wood to know that I love him!_

James rolled his eyes. "You're a disgrace."

Oops. Accidentally said that out loud.

Another yawn. "Rosie? James? What are _you_ guys doing down here?" a familiar voice asked.

Startled, James and I turned around to see a tired looking Belle standing by the staircase with her purple hair tousled in front of her face. "Belle? What are you doing up? You're never awake before noon!" I pointed out.

"I heard noise. Sounded like someone was yelling. I was incredibly lazy, but it sounded like James so I thought maybe you two were down here."

"That sounds like you," James smiled.

"Don't talk to me, you sniveling git!" she yelled.

James sighed, and he began to look furious. "You're so—,"

"Pretty!" I blurted out with a loss for words. "Did anyone tell you that you like amazing when you first wake up? Because it's true! Bed head suits you well, Belle!"

I'm telling you, I could be a bloody poet.

"What are you doing?" James whispered.

"Saving your arse," I whispered back. "Just go along with it."

"Oh yeah, your hair looks great when it's all pushed back like that. Really attractive," he added, looking rather weirded out, but trying to sound convincing.

"Really?" she asked, and her eyes began to sparkle.

"Yeah. You're looking gorgeous, Belle. It's a great look for you. Now go back to sleep. You'll be needing your beauty rest for class tomorrow," I told her.

She yawned. "You're right. And I am still rather exhausted. I think I'll go and catch up on my sleep. 'Night guys!" she announced as she traveled leisurely back up the stairs.

"She loves getting compliments," I explained to a baffled James.

"Right," he said, still a bit creeped out.


	3. We Find The Cure To Belle's Insanity

Monday came quicker than I expected, which was a good thing because I was starting to miss focusing on schoolwork, writing essays, studying all night, and just Hogwarts in general. It was also very bad because I had patrol duty with a scorpion on Mondays and Wednesdays.

So I did what any sane girl would have done. I fell asleep and pushed the idea of patrolling with Malfoy into the back of my head…or maybe the virtual trash bin in my brain.

But if only it were only that easy…

In the middle of the night, somehow the little creep found out our password (probably from dumping more owl shit on Al), slithered into my dormitory, slung me over his shoulder, and carried all the bloody way to Couples' Tower. I pretty much woke the entire House of Gryffindor up because of my screaming and cursing, but they were all dazed and had no idea what to do. Belle, hazed from her love for sleep, shoved a pillow in the shape of a cylinder inside of my mouth screaming, "EAT WORMS YOU STUPID ALIEN! YOU AREN'T KILLING ME THIS TIME!"

I'm really worried about her. These past few days, she's been dreaming about aliens ever since she saw a "UFO" when it was really Al's owl, Fartbreath (don't ask me why he named his owl that; he's a git), attempting to do a flip in the air, and of course, failing. Ever since then, she's been having nightmares about aliens eating her brains and trying to shoot her with their acid-guns. Yeah, I don't know. She's a lunatic.

But anyways, after I calmed myself when Malfoy set me down (or rather dropped me on my bloody head) on a nearby bench. After getting up, I rubbed my swollen cranium and sent a glare at that evil scorpion.

He smirked. "Nice try, Weasley."

"Shut up," I spat.

"Ooh, clever comeback."

I balled my fist and aimed for his face, but I decided at the last minute that it wasn't worth it. I rolled my eyes and pursed my lips in an annoyed matter. Deep breath, Rose, deep breath. Just take a deep breath. "I'm going to let you get to me. I'm better than that."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really."

"Perseverance has always been one of your many flaws, Weasley," he told me as twirled his fingers in a strand of my hair.

"_Ew!" _I exclaimed, slapping his hand away, almost gagging. "Don't touch me, Malfoy!"

He snickered coldly. "It's so fun annoying you."

I stomped my foot. So much for being mature about things. "That's _it!_ I cannot take this bullshit! I hate you, Malfoy! I bloody _hate_ you!"

"Hey, watch the language, Missy. There might be minors spying on us."

I rolled my eyes and trudged down the stairs only to be followed by an annoying blonde maggot.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" asked furiously.

"McGonagall's office! Where else?"

"She's probably sleeping! Any _sane_ professor would be at _this_ hour!"

I stopped in my tracks and sighed exasperatedly. He was right. It was close to two o'clock in the morning. She would most definitely be asleep.

He smirked that same annoying smirk that rested upon his pale face twenty-four/seven.

"Stop smirking at me like that," I told him disgustedly as I stomped back up the stairs.

"Why? Does it annoy you?"

"Almost to death."

"Dammit! _Almost!"_

"You know what, Malfoy? If you wish I were dead, why don't you just kill me right now? Huh? Because I'm pretty close to doing it myself right now!"

"Merlin's pants, Weasley! Stop taking everything so damn seriously!"

I groaned in annoyance. "Can't we just be civil to each other for the time being?"

He sighed and pursed his lips. "Fine. But just because we're acting civilly doesn't mean I don't hate you."

"The same goes for me."

"Good." 

And so the rest of the night was peaceful. I had to admit that it wasn't all that bad. Malfoy and I actually had a grand time. We didn't speak to each other very often, but we had a lot of fun mattress surfing down the endless staircases and running through hallways and waking up the paintings. I hated to confess it, but when he wasn't being an annoying little git, Malfoy was actually a pretty cool guy. But I'm going to blow up his dorm.

….

"Ho wah it patwollin wit Mahlfooy lahst nigh?" Al asked with his mouth full of Honey Nut Cheerios.

"Al, that's disgusting! Swallow your food!" Belle scolded.

He rolled his eyes, but obeyed. "How was it patrolling with Mafoy?"

I shrugged. "It was okay."

Everyone raised their eyebrows. "Okay?" James asked curiously, his eyes saying, _Are you still sane?_

"Yes, give us details, please," Belle agreed.

"Well aren't you being Nosy Nellies today," I told them as I stuffed an egg into my mouth.

"Patrolling with Malfoy would not be 'okay' knowing you, Rose," Al explained.

I pursed my lips. "It was really fine. We bickered at first, but decided to act civilly. It was pretty fun afterwards, actually. We woke up all of the paintings in the castle and mattress-surfed down the staircases. It was one of the greatest nights of my life."

Belle hopped over the table and tackled me. She slapped me across the cheek so hard that everyone, even the professors at the high table, turned to stare at her with oddity.

"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY BEST FRIEND?" she exclaimed.

"Err…"

She slapped me again. "WRONG ANSWER, ALIEN!"

This time, I was the one to slap my own forehead. "YOU'RE INSANE, BELLE! IT WAS AL'S STUPID OWL THAT YOU SAW OUTSIDE OF OUR WINDOW!"

"HEY!" Al exclaimed exasperatedly. "HE'S NOT STUPID! HE'S JUST MENTALLY CHALLENGED!"

"WHATEVER!" Belle and I exclaimed in unison.

"Are you being serious though, Rose?"

I nodded. "Al had just let Fartbreath out for a midnight flight."

She slapped me again. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? I'VE BEEN HAVING NIGHTMARES! I THOUGHT THEY WERE SIGNS!"

"I TRIED TO TELL YOU! YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE ME!"

She huffed and got off of me. "Sorry." And then she walked off back to our dorm.

I got up and blew a strand of my hair from my face. Not that that mattered, of course; I still had bed head. I turned to see all of the Great Hall's attention landing on me. "Well, uh, I'm going back to sleep. See you in the common room, James, Al." I saluted them as a farewell and fled.

….

When I got back to the dorm, I did what any sane person would have done. I slammed the door and locked Belle and I in.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking back there?" I exclaimed furiously. "You made us look like complete idiots out there!"

"I'm sorry! I've always been a loser! That's why I actually believed in 'aliens'! That's why James will never like me!" she pouted and sat back on her bed.

I sighed. It was time for a serious best friend to best friend talk. "Listen, Belle. He thinks you're still mad at him. But I know somewhere deep down, he feels the same way as you do for him."

"You're lying."

I raised an eyebrow. "When did I ever lie to you?"

She sighed. "Never."

"Exactly."

She smiled gratefully as I sat down next to her. "I'm so lucky to have you as a best friend, Rose. I'm sorry I embarrassed you. I'm sorry for everything. I just really freaking love you."

I returned the grin. "I love you too."

She giggled and I embraced her in a sisterly hug.


	4. James, You Little Shit

As I sat at the noisy Gryffindor table, drinking my tea and reading the current issue of _Witch Weekly,_ a scrumptious looking Chase Wood approached me, running his hands through his tousled hair.

"Hey, Rose," he said so smoothly that my heart stopped beating for about a full ten seconds.

I replied with something really intelligent like, "Errubduhuhguhshuh…"

Thankfully, he pretended not to hear it. "So," he began. "Hogsmeade trips are coming up next week and I was wondering if you wanted to attend one with me. Are you up for it?"

I stared at him in awe wondering why the bloody hell he was asking me, and before I could say yes, a furious looking Al stammered into the Great Hall yelling, "STAY AWAY FROM MY GIRLFRIEND, YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

My eyes widened and I laid my face in my hands. Oh my God.

"Uh, dude, isn't she your cousin?"

He gulped and responded with, "Uh, that's what you want to think. She's my girlfriend. We've been dating for about three years. In fact, our anniversary is coming up soon and I was planning to take her to Hogsmeade as a romantic date. Isn't that right, Honeybear?"

My jaw fell to the floor in complete and utter disgust. "Okay, first of all, yes, I'm ashamed that he is in fact my cousin. And no, we are not dating and we never will. Sorry, Al, but I'm not a big fan of incest. You should ask James if you're seriously into that. And, I'm not your _'Honeybear!'_ That just makes any girl want to gag up her internal organs! Oh, and lastly, _EWWWWW!"_

"Well I am refusing to let you go out with this stupid bloody oaf!"

"Hey!" I defended. "Stay out of my personal life, git!"

He shot a glare at me which I deflected with my middle finger.

Shocked from my actions, his mouth opened wider than a Muggle football stadium and he stormed out of the Great Hall.

I sighed and turned back to Chase. "I'm really sorry about that."

He laughed. "It's totally fine."

"Really?"

"Oh, totally. I understand how it is. Cousins always try to act as older siblings and protect their relatives."

"Exactly! The only thing is that he's _younger_ than me!"

Chase laughed again, his smile making me feel dizzy almost like I was growing wings and soaring up to Heaven. "You're really funny, Rose."

I shrugged. "It's all in the genes."

"Mmm. Do you wear flared or skinny?"

This time, I was the one who laughed. "Oh, Chase!" I said dreamily as I nudged him playfully with my elbow. "See, you're really funny, too!"

He did his famous half-smile and my stomach performed a flip. "So, what about that Hogsmeade trip?"

"Oh, I'm totally up for it."

"You're sure you're not dating Al? Because I can keep secrets, you know."

I smirked. "Nah. If I had to romantically involved with that hideous creature, I'd probably kill myself."

He laughed again. "Cool. So, I'll see you around."

My brain began to go fuzzy and I stumbled through the Great Hall with a ridiculous looking smile on my face. I hurried up the stairs attempting not to fall over. Finally I made it to my dorm and found Belle asleep on top of her bed. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Belle, get up. You're going to be late to class…_again."_

"Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh," was her educated response.

"Chase Wood asked me out."

She shuffled through the blankets and sheets trying to process the information. "Wood out Chase you asked? Date a on like?"

"Yes, like on a date. We're going to Hogsmeade together next week," I explained, the goofy smile returning to my rosy coloured face.

She frowned. "But I thought we were going together as friends the first weekend."

Shit. How could I have forgotten that? Belle and I had been planning this ever since the summer! We were oh so anxious to go as friends because James has always been much of a coward to ask her and I really doubted any of the guys paid any attention to me. But here I am, in the biggest dilemma, deciding to go with the guy of my dreams or my absolute best friend in the entire Milky Way.

"It's okay. I can cancel it. We'll reschedule it to the next weekend. We had plans first."

She scoffed. "Are you kidding me? You can't just _cancel _on Chase Wood! We can go another time!"

"Merlin, Belle! Who's side are you on? Besides, you can go with James."

She sighed. "He doesn't like me."

I rolled my eyes. "He does too. That's why you need to ask _him_. He'll feel less pressure."

Her eyes went as wide as saucers. "Are you _joking?_ I can't ask _James_ out! It will make things all _awkward_," she said the word 'awkward' like it was poisonous acid dripping off of her tongue.

I pursed my lips. "I'll see what I can do. I'm a Weasley; I always have a back-up plan."

She smiled. "I'm happy for you, Rose. Really."

I smiled back. "Thanks. And don't worry too much about James. He'll come around."

….

But the truth is, I'm nothing except a dirty liar. I had no back-up plan. The only other option was to get James to ask her. And trust me, that is _not_ an easy task.

"No, that's weird," James responded to my question with his cheeks full of scarlet pigments.

"How is it weird? You'll only be going as friends!"

"It'll just be awkward, Rose. I don't want things to be awkward with her and I. It's just that…I don't want to wreck our friendship."

Al raised an eyebrow from across the common room. "Yeah, sure. _That's_ it."

"Will you shut your mouth?" James scolded angrily.

Al threw his arms up in surrender and returned to reading his novel that he stole from the _Muggle Literature_ section of the library. It was about eleven o'clock on a school night, meaning that everyone else was upstairs sleeping, if not, studying. Oh, who am I kidding? Gryffindors don't study. But anyways, the three of us were all alone in the common room free to discuss anything that we wanted.

"Can we _please_ change the subject?" James begged earnestly.

"No," I insisted.

"Whoa! Scout and Dill are married already? Damn these American kids grow up way too fast!" Al exclaimed.

James and I both looked up at him with eyebrows raised.

"Sorry," he said bashfully and sunk his head back into the book.

"You're taking Belle to Hogsmeade and that's all there is to it!"

"No, Rose. It'll be awkward."

"I promise you it won't."

"It _will."_

"Well if you approach it with that attitude, it will."

"Exactly my point."

"James, you stubborn little brat! Why won't you take Belle?"

"Because…" he stammered and pursed his lips. "Because I already have a date!"

My jaw hit the floor. "WHAT?" Al and I both yelled in unison.

"You can't go with anyone except for Belle!" I shouted angrily.

"Yes I can! It's my life!"

"I don't care!"

He sighed heavily, the fury inside him growing stronger. "It figures!"

"Who are you taking anyways?" I asked irritably.

"Melanie! Who else?"

My eyes widened and my mouth made the shape of a capital bolded **'O.'**

"Okay, it's official. I absolutely _hate_ my life."

**A/N: Ooh, intense right? Lots of romance **_**and**_** twists in this chapter! Aren't you all proud of me? Let me know what you think in a review! And while I'm on the topic, I would like to thank all of you for your amazing feedback! Remember, the more responses I get, the more effort I put into this and the more effort I put into this, the faster I publish it! In short, if you review, I post faster. But anyways, I have a few shout-outs to give. The first goes to my best friend, Di (RachelsBerry). If you didn't notice it yet, go back and re-read because I inserted a Starkid reference from Starship with the "hideous creatures" thing for you! (The title also has something to do with AVPM because I was thinking of you.) Thanks so much for your feedback! I love you, Di! And next, I would like to give a special acknowledgement to ****Meteolojinx Recanto****for reviewing every single one of my chapters so far! Unfortunately, I am unable to reply to them because you have private messaging disabled, but it's not a problem. Just wanted to thank you all! Remember, the more reviews, the faster I publish! Tell me your favourite parts of the chapter or even a quote that you liked (those are always the best!) or perhaps what you thought was funny! Anything is appreciated! Thanks! -Tea**


	5. I Am A Terrible Matchmaker

To be honest, I have no idea what to do. It was my job to persuade James into asking Belle out on the Hogsmeade trip coming up, but for some reason he decided to take Melanie the slag Davies. I feel so bad because I, of all people, have a date with the most attractive guy in all of Hogwarts and Belle, who is twenty two times prettier than me, has no one. This world just makes no sense.

I had been avoiding Belle for the past week because I felt so guilty. Sometimes, she would ask to talk but I made dumb excuses like studying for a Potions exam or having to sneak into the library so that I could finish an essay. I was beginning to feel so terrible that I even told Scorpius Malfoy about it. But nothing about Chase and I. Some things are meant to stay private. And, besides, I don't want anyone else to know…yet.

"Okay, so why exactly are you avoiding her?" Malfoy asked me for the billionth time.

"I told you! I can't find her a date to Hogsmeade! I want James to ask her, but he's being a git!"

"Potter's always a git," he pointed out.

Normally I would protest, but this time, I actually agreed with him. "Tell me about it."

He smirked and we walked further along the corridor.

I sighed. "I just feel so guilty."

"You should."

I glared at him. "Not helping."

He held his arms up in surrender. "Sorry. It's only my opinion."

"Well I didn't ask for it!" I stomped my foot exactly as a five year old would. "I know that I'm a bad friend! There's no need to remind me of it!"

"Weasley, stop your whining, please. It's getting pretty pathetic."

"Then why did you agree to listen to me rant?"

"Ah, see, this is where you're wrong, sweetie," he dabbed my nose with his finger and I almost gagged on his pale face. "I agreed to listening to you _rant_. Whining is a totally different thing."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. And _don't_ call me sweetie. _Ever."_

He laughed coldly. "It's fun to mess with you."

I sighed in annoyance. "I hate my life."

"Oh, come on. Big deal, you're feeling guilty. Just talk to Marshall."

"I can't do that! What would I tell her? Oh, hello, Belle, my best friend, I just came to break your heart by saying that James is taking Melanie to Hogsmeade next week!"

Malfoy sighed. "Do you want my advice or not?"

"No."

He raised an eyebrow.

I breathed out through my nose. "You're lucky I'm desperate."

He smirked again. "Why don't you ask get other Potter to take Marshall?"

I choked on my spit. "You're kidding right? Al is the most annoying little piece of crap on this planet and Belle wants to murder him every time he says something. If I put them together on a date to Hogsmeade, they'd practically kill each other! Do you want the third Wizarding War to break out?"

"Ah, but you're not seeing the big picture, sweetheart."

I glared at him. "I told you not to call me that."

"Actually you said to call me sweetie. I said sweetheart. So, technically, I'm off the hook."

I rolled my eyes. "Just get on with it."

"Well, if Potter sees his brother with Marshall on a date, it'll make him jealous, right?"

"Yes," I agreed, a devious smile forming on my face.

"So he'll probably leave Davies to claw his brother's eyes out."

"Oh my wizard god! That's _genius!"_

"I know, I know. Hold your applause."

"Prick."

….

Hogsmeade came closer than I suspected. It was already Friday night, and I hadn't even spoken to Al about going with Belle to Hogsmeade. I hate procrastination. From now on, I'm going to take advantage of things and do them before it's too late…starting next week…hopefully.

That night, I waited until after everyone was up in their dorms (which took forever, I think I might add) to talk to Al. He and James were playing a game of Wizard's Chess and Belle was sprawled out and asleep on the couch. Okay, it's about time to swallow my pride.

I cleared y throat the way I always did when I needed someone to move.

Al immediately got up and threw his arms up in surrender. "Fine! It's alright! I'm used to it! I'll just leave so that you and James can discuss how you want to do your hair for Hogsmeade tomorrow."

"Actually Al, you can stay. James, you've got to go."

He glared at me, deciding whether to listen or not. I gave him my best devilish smile, the one I always get whenever I'm planning to prank or sabotage someone else. He immediately grew a worried face, gulped, and left. I smirked as I took his seat on the floor next to Al.

"What do you want Rose?" he asked toughly, though I could hear the crack in his voice.

I pursed my lips and thought for a moment about how I was to approach this. "Okay, I'm not going to feed around the bush. I'm just going to be frank with you, and I'm begging you, _please_ don't freak out on me."

His eyebrows furrowed together. "Okay?"

"I need you to take Belle to Hogsmeade tomorrow."

His eyes widened. "NO!" he yelled. "I DON'T WANT TO _DIE!"_

"You promised that you wouldn't freak out on me!"

"Yeah, that was before I knew that you wanted me to take that…that _thing_ on a date!"

"Hey, she's right there! Do you want to get killed right _now?"_

He thought for a moment then answered, "No."

"That's what I thought."

"Explain why you want me to ask her out. We both know James is in love with her! I don't want to reenact the Boston Riot!"

"Oh, please. James is more subtle than that. He'll probably slip some mercury into your pumpkin juice and have you die a slow and painful death."

His face turned pale. "Because that totally makes everything better, Rose. Thanks."

"Sorry. But please, Al. It'll only be for one day, and, besides, you can go as friends and just laugh like one of you told a funny joke if you see James anywhere."

He rolled his eyes. "What's in it for me?"

"I'll give you all of my Hogsmeade money," I promised, hoping that he would have forgotten my punishment.

He pursed his lips the way he always does when he makes one of those "life-or-death" decisions.

"Deal," he finally responded.

I smirked and gave him a brotherly hug. Only now, I had to find some money…

….

The following morning, mum sent an owl post telling me how sorry she was, and thank Merlin, it had money in it.

"Ho muck?" Belle asked with her mouth full of cereal.

I rolled my eyes, but told her, "Two galleons, eleven sickles, fourteen knuts."

She spit out her cereal back into the bowl, causing me to almost gag.

"Dude!" I exclaimed, still horrified.

She used her sleeve to wipe her mouth and the red rosy pigments in her cheeks flared. "Sorry."

I snickered and at that moment, James and Al entered the Great Hall, and James looked even paler than I'd ever seen him before. His eyes were purple and baggy, and I noticed that he lost a little weight, but it didn't look very nice on him. It only looked extremely unhealthy. When Belle saw him, her eyes were full of concern, but she looked away before he could return the gaze.

"Is everything all right, James?" I asked.

He didn't answer. He only poured himself a glass of orange juice and stared out the window.

Before I could say anything else, Al interrupted with: "Hey, Rose. Pay up."

"Oh," I muttered as I grabbed the pouch full of coins. I only gave him five sickles and six knuts. I'm not stupid enough to give him all of my money.

He raised an eyebrow. "This is it?"

I took a bite of my buttered croissant. "She thinks if she gives me more than eleven, I'll raid Zonko's and prank everyone until the end of time."

He managed a laugh. "Well, it's probably true."

I smiled and made another dent in the croissant.

"Why are you giving Al your Hogsmeade money?" Belle asked curiously.

"Oh, uh…" I stumbled. "Lost a bet."

"Well that's a first," James muttered as he took a sip of his juice.

Looking at James almost hurt. It was so hard to see him look so unhealthy. His collarbones were jolting out of his skin and you could see the formation of them through his now loose crew neck shirt. I was dying to know what was making him like this.

"James, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," he answered after a long pause. "Can't you see that?"

"No, I can't! When I look at you, I see someone who is lifeless and frail, and that it not even close to the James that I know! Why are you like this?"

He slammed his fist on the table. "Because Melanie dumped me! She _dumped_ me! Are you happy now Rose?"

I tried to say something, but he only knocked all of the goblets and platters of food off of the table then stormed out of the Great Hall. McGonagall called after him with threats of detention, but I knew that she'd take pity on him when she realized how fragile he was. Poor James. He could break at any second. Unless, he's already broken…

**A/N: Okay, sorry I couldn't fit Hogsmeade in. I promise it will be in the next chapter. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! OR ELSE.**

**Just kidding. But seriously. REVIEW.**


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